Disc advancing and processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A disc advancing and painting apparatus including a pair of generally cylindrical support rollers rotatably mounted in adjacent side-by-side relationship to provide a cradle for supporting a row of similar discs or the like on edge in adjacent relationship, means for rotating the support rollers in the same angular direction to spin the discs, means for advancing the row from an entrance end of the rollers to the opposite discharge end of the rollers, means for holding the discs on the support rollers during advance from the entrance end toward the discharge end, yieldable gate means at the discharge end of the rollers mounted for movement between a blocking position obstructing discharge of the end disc and a retracted position for discharge of the end disc, and a paint gun disposed adjacent the discharge end of the support rollers for momentarily directing paint against the spinning end disc while the latter is held against discharge by the gate means.

United States Patent 1 Walls DISC ADVANCING AND PROCESSING APPARATUS[75] Inventor: Leroy C. Walls, Valparaiso, Ind.

[73] Assignee: Lewals, Inc., Chesterton, Ind.

[22] Filed: Nov. 20, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 308,145

[52] US. Cl. 118/2; 118/58; 118/318; 118/320 [51] Int. Cl. B05c 5/00[58] Field of Search 425/409, 58; 118/318, 320, 118/2, 8; 198/209;53/316 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,579,737 12/1951Giordano, Jr. 118/320 X 3,332,210 7/1967 Tordi 53/316 PrimaryExaminer-John P. McIntosh Attorney, Agent, or FirmWegner, Stellman,McCord, Wiles & Wood 1 June 3, 1975 [57] ABSTRACT A disc advancing andpainting apparatus including a pair of generally cylindrical supportrollers rotatably mounted in adjacent side-by-side relationship toprovide a cradle for supporting a row of similar discs or the like onedge in adjacent relationship, means for rotating the support rollers inthe same angular direction to spin the discs, means for advancing therow from an entrance end of the rollers to the opposite discharge end ofthe rollers, means for holding the discs on the support rollers duringadvance from the entrance end toward the discharge end, yieldable gatemeans at the discharge end of the rollers mounted for movement between ablocking position obstructing discharge of the end disc and a retractedposition for discharge of the end disc, and a paint gun disposedadjacent the discharge end of the support rollers for momentarilydirecting paint against the spinning end disc while the latter is heldagainst discharge by the gate means.

PATENTEUJHN 3 m5 SHEET DISC ADVANCING AND PROCESSING APPARATUSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a discadvancing and painting apparatus for coating surfaces of circular discssuch as end closures for cylindrical containers of vari- SUMMARY OF THEPRESENT INVENTION It is a general object of the invention to provide anew and improved high speed apparatus for applying paint or othercoating material to discs such as can ends.

Another object is to provide a new and improved disc advancing mechanismfor feeding a plurality of similar circular discs on edge in adjacentrelationship in a generally cylindrically shaped row toward a paintstation.

A more specific object is to provide a disc advancing and paintingapparatus including means for supporting a row of discs on edge inadjacent relationship and at the same time spinning the disc andadvancing the row in a longitudinal direction toward a paint stationwhere a paint gun directs a momentary jet of paint against the spinningend disc in the row, following which the painted disc is dischargedfromthe supporting means for drying.

In a preferred embodiment, the disc advancing mechanism comprises a pairof generally cylindrical support rollers rotatably mounted in adjacentside-by-side relationship to provide a cradle for supporting a row ofdiscs, means for rotating the rollers in the same angular direction asthe discs advance from one end of the rollers to the other, aroddisposed over the cradle for holding the discs on the support rollers,and gate means at the discharge end of the support rollers movablebetween a blocking position obstructing discharge of the end disc and aretracted position permitting discharge of the end disc.

If desired, the disc advancing mechanism may be mounted on a pivotableframe adjustable for purposes of inclining the support rollers eitherupwardly or downwardly from the entrance end toward the discharge end.

In one form of the invention, the gate means at the discharge end of thesupport rollers comprises a yieldably mounted pressure roller engagingseveral discs at the discharge end and having an enlarged peripheralflange which momentarily retards the discharge of the end disc beforeyielding to permit the end disc to drop :off thesupport rollers. Inanother form, the support rollers are flanged, and a pressure foot has ayieldable portion responsive to a pusher. I

As illustrated herein, the discs are guided toward the entrance endof'the cradle between the support rollers by means of'a tubular guideextending downwardly from a hopper supply of discs and laterally towardthe entrance end of the rollers such that the weight of the discs in theguide contributes to the advance of the discs along the guide. In, orderto provide a variable positive feed of the discs toward the supportrollers, a pair of feed rollers may be disposed at opposite sides of theguide with surfaces of the rollers engaging opposite sides of the row ofdiscs, together with means for rotating the feed rollers in a directionto advance the discs along the guide.

The paint apparatus includes a paint gun disposed adjacent the dischargeend of the support rollers for momentarily directing a jet of paintagainst the spinning end disc while the latter is held against dischargeby the gate means, and control means responsive to the movement of thegate means energizes the paint gun.

Preferably, the control means for the paint gun comprises a switchactuated by movement of a pivoted roller at the discharge gate, and acontrol responsive to the switch for energizing the paint gun. In theconstruction illustrated herein, the control includes delay means forestablishing a paint jet as a predetermined time after discharge of theend disc, and dwell means controlling the duration of the paint jobbefore the next spinning end disc is discharged.

While reference is made to handling of discs of relatively thindimensions, it should be understood that the invention is also usablewith cylinders of relatively short length, which could be handledsimilarly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS invention including a disc supplyhopper, disc feeding I mechanism, paint spray gun, control for the gun,and a drying oven for painted discs;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mechanism for advancing discs to thepaint spray gun;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged and elevational view showing the discsupport rollers and a yieldable pressure roller at the discharge end ofthe support rollers;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the disc support rollers at thedischarge end, together with the pressure roller;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken at about the line 5-5 of FIG.4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken at about the line 66 of FIG.3;

FIG. 7 is an end elevation of another embodiment, partly in section,viewing the gate means at the discharge end of the support rollers;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken at about the line 88 of FIG.7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at about the line99 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a drive including a pluralityof disc pushers of the type shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawingsin more detail, and particularly FIG. 1, a paint spray gun 10 is locatedadjacent the discharge end of a disc advancing mechanism 12 to whichdiscs are supplied from a source such as a hopper 14. The paint spraygun 10 is supplied with paint from a supply source 16, and operation ofthe paint spray gun is controlled by a control unit 18 so that paint isapplied to the end disc in a row of discs supported in the advancingmechanism 12. Painted discs fall into a guide means 20 for directing thediscs onto a conveyor belt 22 which carries the discs through an oven 24for drying the paint.

The discs to be painted are presented to a paint station adjacent thepaint spray gun 10. The discs progress toward the paint station in agenerally horizontally disposed row of generally cylindricalconfiguration in which the discs are disposed on edge side by side in anelongate cradle formed between a pair of cylindrically shaped supportrollers 26 and 27 disposed in adjacent side-by-side parallelrelationship. As best seen in FIG. 2, the support rollers 26 and 27 arerotatably mounted at one end in bearing supports 29 and 30, and extendin cantilever fashion from the bearing supports, with the opposite endsof the rollers unmounted so as to provide freedom for painting anddischarge of the discs adjacent the paint spray gun 10.

The bearing supports 29 and 30 are mounted on a frame generallydesignated 35 including a pair of parallel upright arms 37 carrying across rod 38 on which the bearing supports 29 and 30 are slidablymounted for movement toward and away from each other to adjust thespacing between the rollers 26 and 27. Adjustment of the bearingsupports 29 and 30 may be effected by means such as a screw threadedshaft 40 mounted in the upright arms 37 and threadably engaging thesupports 29 and 30. If desired, a single screw shaft 40 may haveoppositely threaded portions for simultaneously moving the bearingsupports 29 and 30 toward or away from each other. If it is desirable toincrease the capacity of the apparatus, by utilizing a second paint gunfor painting discs in a second supply row, an additional support rollermay be provided as at 42, mounted and driven in a manner similar to thatdescribed in connection with support rollers 26 and 27, to provide asecond cradle with the roller 27.

As illustrated herein, the frame 35 is pivotally mounted as at 50 foradjustment about a horizontal axis relative to a chassis 52 supported byupright columns 54 on a base 56. In order to adjust the frame 35 aboutthe axis of the pivotal mounting 50, the frame includes a dependingbracket 58 carrying a pivoted nut 59 on a threadably adjustable screwshaft 60. The shaft 60 is rotatably mounted and axially restrained in abracket 62 depending from the chassis 52. A hand wheel 63 is secured onthe free end of the shaft 60 so that the shaft may be manually rotatedto swing the frame 35 about the pivot axis 50 for purposes of adjustingthe support rollers 26 and 27 between a horizontal disposition andinclined positions extending angularly upwardly or downwardly from theentrance end of the support rollers to the discharge end of the rollers.As will appear more clearly hereinafter, it may be desirable to inclinethe rollers 26 and 27 either upwardly or downwardly for purposes ofcontrolling the rate of feed of the discs along the rollers. In atypical construction, the range of adjustment may provide for tiltingthe rollers several degrees in either direction from horizontal. Such anadjustment is particularly useful in installations where no provision ismade for positive disc feed additional to the rollers 26 and 27.

In order to spin the discs in the cradle between the support rollers 26and 27 during advance toward the paint station, the rollers 26 and 27are driven in the same angular direction, counterclockwise as viewed inFIG. 3. As illustrated herein, the rollers 26 and 27 are driven by amotor 65 and a drive belt 66. The drive motor 65 is supported on aplatform 68 which is a part of the frame 35. The rotation of the rollers26 and 27 in the same direction has the effect of rotating the discs inthe cradle about the longitudinal axis of the row of discs so that eachdisc is spinning at the discharge end of the support rollers where thepaint gun 10 is located. In this manner, it is possible to direct a jetor spray of paint or other coating material toward a limited portion ofthe spinning disc at one side of the axis thereof, and continue the jetfor at least one revolution of the spinning disc, so that paint isapplied in a complete circle or band.

The rollers 26 and 27 have a size and location which aid in maintainingeach spinning disc in an upright plane transverse to the rollers. If therollers are too close together, the discs tend to fall over, and if therollers are spaced too widely, the discs tend to fall between therollers. As shown in FIG. 3, the adjacent surfaces of the supportrollers 26 and 27 are spaced apart less than the radius of the discs tobe handled. At the same time, it is generally desirable for the centersof the support rollers to fall on radii emanating from the center of therow of discs at an included angle on the order of to which increases asthe size of the discs increases. As seen in FIG. 3, the radius of eachof the support rollers 26 and 27 is approximately on the order of thediameter of the discs, but the rollers may be used with discs of largerdiameter. As best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the discs D aresimilar, and each includes an axially extending outer peripheral flangeF with an outer edge lying in a plane, an annular intermediate portionI, and a central raised tip portion T, such that the center of gravityof each disc lies forward, in the direction of travel, of the plane ofthe outer peripheral edge of the disc. In operation, rotation of thesupport rollers 26 and 27 has the effect of spinning the discs D, andthe spinning discs progress axially along the support rollers. Theprogress of the discs axially along the support rollers is believed tobe due to a gyro phenomenon sometimes called precession. According tosuch phenomenon, if a spinning body, such as a spinning disc D, has aforce applied tending to tip the disc about a horizontal axis transverseto the spinning axis, the effect is manifested as a tendency of thespinning body to tilt about a vertical axis transverse to the horizontalaxis. Thus, with the discs spinning, and the center of gravity of eachdisc located forwardly of the peripheral edge contacting the supportrollers. the tendency of the discs to fall forward results in a slightinclination about an upright axis which provides a component of movementlongitudinally along the support rollers 26 and 27.

The discs D are held in the cradle against the support rollers 26 and 27by an overlying elongate rod as at 70 appropriately supported to engagethe upper edge of the row of discs extending along a substantial portionof the length of the rollers 26 and 27. The action of the rotatingrollers 26 and 27 and the restraining effect of the holddown rod 70result in longitudinal progress of the discs along the rollers 26 and 27toward the paint gun 10. It will be understood that the progress of thediscs may be varied by inclining the rollers 26 and 27 upwardly ordownwardly from horizontal. If the rollers are inclined upwardly fromthe inlet end toward the discharge end, the progress of the discs wouldbe somewhat retarded, whereas if the rollers are inclined downwardlyfrom the inlet end to the discharge end, the progress of the discs wouldbe aided.

The discs are supplied to the cradle between the support rollers 26 and27 by a tubular guide 72 which extends downwardly and laterally from thebottom outlet end of hopper 14. The hopper 14 may be constructed in aconventional manner to include a vibrator as seen at 73 and appropriatemechanism for orienting the discs so that all are turned in the samedirection upon entering the guide tube 72, that is, so that all of thediscs are turned with the outstanding central portion T projectingforwardly. It should be understood that the weight of the column ofdiscs in the tubular guide 72 provides a force tending to move the discsdownwardly through the tube 72 and longitudinally along the supportrollers 26 and 27.

If it is desired to provide a more positive feed of the discs along thesupport rollers 26 and 27 and a capacity for wide variation in the rateof feed, compared to that normally provided by gravity and the gyroeffect, the inclination of the support rollers and the weight of thediscs, positive feed rollers may be utilized as illustrated at 80,engaging opposite sides of the row of discs through apertures in thetubular guide 72. The feed rollers 80 may be appropriately driventhrough a gear box illustrated at 82, and rotated in a direction suchthat the surfaces of the rollers engaging the edges of the discs advancethe discspositively toward the paint gun 10.

In order tocontrol the discharge of the discs at the end of the supportrollers 26 and 27 adjacent the paint gun 10, a pressure roller 85 ispositioned to yieldably engage the top of the last several discs in therow, three discs as illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The pressure rollerincludes an outwardly extending peripheral end flange 86 normallypositioned in the path of the discs to retard the progress of the discs.As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pressure roller 85 is rotatably mountedon an arm 87 pivoted at 88 on a crosspiece 89 extending between upright90 on the frame 35. The pivoted arm 87 is yieldably biased by anadjustable spring 92 toward the position illustrated in FIG. 6 where theperiphery of the roller 85 engages the outer peripheral edges of severalspinning discs D and the flange 86 on the pressure roller retards theprogress of the discs along the support rollers 26 and 27. However, theflange 86 cannot indefinitely resist the feeding effect of the rollers80 acting against the row of discs, and after a short delay, the enddisc forces the pressure roller upwardly to a retracted position wheresuch disc is permitted to progress past the flange 86. In order tofacilitate discharge of the released disc, it should be noted that thesupport roller 26 is slightly shorter than the support roller 27 by anamount corresponding approximately to the thickness of one disc. Thus,on viewing FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be understood that after the end discis released by the flange 86, the disc progresses past the end of thesupport roller 26 and falls laterally and downwardly past the end of theroller 26 toward the guide means 20.

It will be appreciated that in an installation where the positive feedrollers 80 are utilized, less reliance is placed upon the weight of thestack in the guide 72, on the inclination of the support rollers 26 and27, and on the gyro effect of the spinning discs, and instead the discsare positively advanced at a rate which may be varied if desired. At thesame time, the gate roller or pressure roller 85 momentarily holds theend disc against longitudinal progress for the painting operation,

. while the disc is still spinning, following which it is released. Itshould be understood that while the discs are essentially in closeengaging relationship, there may be some space between some adjacentdiscs, and some accordion action in the progress of the row whichpermits the momentary detention of the last disc in spite of the feedingeffect applied to the row of discs.

Immediately following the painting operation, the painted end disc fallsdownwardly and laterally past the end of the shorter support roller 26toward the guide means 20. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guidemeans includes a guard or plate as at 95 disposed adjacent the ends ofthe support rollers 26 and 27, and particularly 26, for purposes ofrestraining the released painted disc against significant further motionlongitudinally of the support rollers. The guard 95 directs the releaseddisc into a closed flat chute 96 which extends downwardly from the guard95 and is curved laterally to deposit the discs in a wider open inclinedtray 97 leading to the conveyor belt 22. The discs slide down the chute96 and the tray 97 at a rapid rate and are deposited in random positionson the conveyor belt 22 in order to be carried through the heated dryingoven 24 where the moisture in the paint is evaporated so that the discsare substantially dry when dropped from the conveyor belt 22.

The spray gun 10 may be a conventional commercially available NordsonAirless Spray Gun made by Nordson Corporation of Amherst, Ohio. The gun10 is adjustably mounted on a transverse rod 100 in turn adjustablymounted on an upright post 102 on the frame 35. The gun is supplied withpaint through a tube 104 extending from the paint supply 16 whichincludes a pump which may be a conventional commercially available pumpof the type marketed by Nordson Corporation as Model 64. The pumpfunctions to draw paint from an appropriate source and supply the paintunder pressure through the hose 104 to the gun 10.

The gun 10 is constructed with an appropriate nozzle for directing a jetor spray of paint in an adjustable pattern toward the end disc at thedischarge station on the support rollers 26 and 27. While the nozzle isadjustable to some extent to control the pattern of paint discharged, ifdesired, the guard 95 or a similar plate may be formed with an apertureand surrounding guard portions for controlling the pattern of the paintspray directed onto the disc at the paint station. The flow of paintfrom the pressure conduit 104 to the discharge nozzle is controlled byappropriate valve means which may be opened selectively and closed aftera predetermined time period in which the spinning disc may completeatleast one revolution so as to be coated as desired. It will beappreciated that the entire end of the disc may be painted or otherwisecoated, or only a limited annular portion may be coated while an outeredge or central portion may be left uncoated, depending upon the patternof the spray directed toward the disc.

The valve means in the spray gun 10 is controlled by a standardcommercially available control unit 18 of a type manufactured by Nordsonand described as Model C2. Among other features, such control unitincludes a triggering means for actuating the spray gun and including amanually adjustable knob 106 permitting variation in a delay periodbefore the gun is actuated following an input control signal. Thecontrol unit also includes a manually adjustable knob 108 for varyingthe dwell period during which the paint spray valve is held open.Control signals are provided from the control unit 18 to the valve meansin the gun 10 through a cable 110. In order to provide an appropriateinput signal to the control unit 18, a switch 1 12 is mounted adjacentthe pressure roller 85 and includes a switch actuating lever 113engageable by the pivoted arm 87 carrying the pressure roller. In thismanner, the switch 112 is actuated when the pressure roller 85 is forcedupwardly to permit passage of the end disc following application ofpaint to such disc. The switch 112 provides a signal to the control unit18 through a cable 114. Then, following the delay determined by thesetting of the knob 106, the spray gun is energized and maintainedenergized for a predetermined period of time determined by theadjustment of the manually accessible knob 108. In a typicalinstallation, the delay period before actuation of the spray gun,following the input signal, may be on the order of several milliseconds,and the dwell period determining the duration of the paint spray may beon the order of several milliseconds.

In operation of the apparatus as described, the discs are painted at anextremely high rate of speed in excess of 300 discs per minute. At thisrate, it will be understood that the discs are rotating very rapidly andrequire only a momentary spray of paint or other coating material, andwill be discharged one at a time in rapid fire order at the rate of fiveor more per second. The paint is applied evenly in minimum quantitiesrequired for the intended purposes. The paint is applied only to theintended areas without the problem of spreading to other areas, and thepainted or otherwise coated discs are rapidly conveyed through thedrying oven for discharge in large quantities for economic production.

EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 7-10 Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, discs D have asomewhat different configuration from the discs D previously described,and include an outer peripheral flange FL, an adjacent annular groove Gand a central circular portion C. Such discs are utilized to closetheend of a cylindrical container in an arrangement where the groove Gis fitted over the annular end of the cylinder. In order to retain thedisc on the end of the cylinder, and provide a fluidtight seal, theinterior of the annular groove G is coated with an appropriate sealantmaterial sprayed from gun while the row of discs is rotated according tothe principles previously described.

' With some disc constructions, it has been found that there issometimes a tendency for adjacent discs to stick together either becauseof a nesting relationship or because of suction, as a result of whichthe disc at the end of the row may not readily separate from theadjacent disc after painting or coating. In such situations, it isdesirable to utilize a pusher at the discharge station for positivelyseparating the end disc, rather than rely on such disc to fall awaysolely under the influence of gravity. As illustrated herein, a pusheris utilized in conjunction with a pair of adjacent support rollers 126and 127 provided in lieu of the support rollers illustrated at 26 and 27in the construction previously described. Each of the support rollers126 and 127 is formed at the end adjacent the spray gun 10 with anenlarged annular flange as at 129 which functions to retard the progressof the discs D along the support rollers 126 and 127, and hold the enddisc in position for coating of the groove G by the gun 10. Adjacent theend flanges 129, several discs D at the end of the cylindrical row ofdiscs are held on the support rollers by a retaining member or a gatemember in the form of a stationary body having a yieldable flange 132disposed above the end disc engaging the roller flange 129.

The gate member 130 and the yieldable flange 132 function together withthe roller flanges 129 to yieldably retain the end disc in position onthe support rollers during the application of coating material to thegroove G, but the flange 132 is resiliently yieldable in a manner toenable the end disc in a row to be pushed upwardly for discharge afterthe coating operation. In order to remove the end disc after the coatingoperation, a pusher mechanism 135 includes a pusher arm 136 having arotatably mounted pusher roller 138 at the upper end adapted to engagethe end disc D and push such disc upwardly above the level of the rollerflanges 129 and past the yieldable retaining flange 132. The pusher arm136 includes a lower end portion pivotally mounted on an eccentric pin139, and an intermediate portion pivotally connected at 140 to a pivotedlever 142. The eccentric pin 139 and the lever 142 mount and actuate thepusher arm 136 in a manner to move the pusher roller 138 upwardly in aninclined path extending generally lengthwise of the arm 136 to theposition illustrated in FIG. 8 where the end disc is dislodged fordischarge. Following discharge of the end disc, the pusher roller 138 isretracted along a more vertical path before moving upwardly again.

In order to appropriately move the pusher arm 136, the crank pin 139 iscarried by a pair of spaced discs 144 respectively on adjacent ends ofaligned shaft sections 146 which are driven by means not illustrated tocontinuously rotate in a clockwise direction as illustrated in FIG. 8.The shafts 146 are mounted in appropriate bearings as illustrated at147, and the lower end of the pusher arm 136 is positioned between theadjacent discs 144. The pivoted lever 142 has an end remote from thepusher arm 136 pivotally mounted as at 150 on the upper end ofappropriate standard means 152 supported on a frame 153. As seen in FIG.7, two pivoted levers 142 are provided at opposite sides of the pusherarm 136 in order to more precisely regulate the motion of the pusherarm.

In operation, during rotation of the crank pin 139 in a clockwisedirection as viewed in FIG. 8, pusher arm 136 moves upwardly duringmotion of the crank pin 139 from its lower position to its upperposition. During such motion, the pivoted levers 142 swing about themounting 150, and the pusher arm 136 is free to pivot about theconnection 140. Thus, the pusher roller 138 moves upwardly and towardthe left as viewed in FIG. 8 in a manner which not only lifts the enddisc past the roller flanges 129 and the yieldable gate flange 132, butalso tends to move the end disc away from the adjacent disc to separatethe end disc from the row. When the end disc is positively separatedfrom the row in the manner described, it may be unnecessary to utilizepositive feed means such as that described at 80 in the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-6.

In order to control the spray gun 10 associated with the row of discs D,a control switch may be utilized as at 150 (FIG. 8) adjacent the pivotedlever 144 to be actuated by the lever on downward travel when the pusheris withdrawing after discharge of the end disc. The switch 150 may beconnected to function as the switch 112 in the previously describedembodiment. In particular, the switch initiates a delay period set by amanually adjustable knob 106, following which the gun 10' is energizedfor a predetermined period of time determined by the setting of manualknob 108.

Referring now to FIG. 10, in situations where it is desirable toincrease output by simultaneously advancing two adjacent rows of discsas at D and D" toward two separate spray guns, a second pushermechanism, identified by prime numbers, may be driven from the sameshaft construction 146 in timed relationship to dis charge a disc D" apredetermined time after discharge of a disc D so that the spray gunsmay be sequentially operated rather than simultaneously placing demandson a single paint supply such as that illustrated at 16 in FIG. 1. Asshown in FIG. 10, the eccentric pin 139 is connected to the drive shaftin a lagging relationship approximately 90 out of phase behind pin 139.

With the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 10, it is unnecessary for thelever 142' to actuate a second control switch. Instead, the control unit18 is adapted to function in a manner to initiate operation of a secondspray gun at a predetermined period of time following operation of thefirst spray gun, as determined by setting of a manual knob 106' (FIG.1). After the predetermined delay, corresponding to the lag of eccentricpin 139' behind pin 139, the second spray gun is energized for apredetermined period of time determined by the setting of a manual knob108 in FIG. 1. Obviously, if desired, there could be more than two rowsof discs and associated pushers all operated from a single drive shaft.

In operation, the apparatus is adapted to function at a high speed tocoat the grooves G in the discs in one row at a rate in excess of 300per minute. The discs rotate rapidly and require only a momentary sprayof paint to coat the entire annular length of the groove due to the highspeed rotation.

I claim:

1. A disc handling apparatus, comprising,

a. means for supporting a plurality of similar circular discs on edge inadjacent relationship in a generally cylindrically shaped row,

b. means for spinning the discs in the row about the longitudinal axisof the row,

0. means for advancing the row of discs toward a discharge station wherethe successive discs fall off the supporting means, and

d. means mounted in alignment with said discharge station formomentarily directing a spray of coating fluid toward the spinning enddisc at the discharge station before it falls off the supporting means.

2. A disc advancing and painting apparatus, comprisa. a frame,

b. a pair of rollers rotatably mounted on the frame in adjacentside-by-side relationship to provide a cradle for supporting a row ofcircular discs on edge in adjacent relationship,

c. means for rotating the support rollers in a direction to spin thediscs as the row advances from an entrance end of the rollers to theopposite discharge end of the rollers,

d. means on the frame disposed over the cradle for holding the discs onthe support rollers during advance from the entrance end toward thedischarge end,

e. a yieldable gate member on the frame at the discharge end of thesupport rollers movable between a blocking position at least momentarilyobstructing discharge-of the end disc and a retracted positionfordischarge of the end disc, and

f. a paint gun disposed adjacent the discharge end of the supportrollers for momentarily directing a jet of paint against the spinningend disc while the latter is held against discharge by the gate member.

31 An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the gate membercomprisesa movably mounted pressure roller for engaging several discs atthe discharge end of the support rollers and having an enlargedperipheral end flange for retarding discharge of the end disc duringapplication of the paint, and means resiliently urging the pressureroller toward the support rollers and yieldable to permit retraction ofthe pressure roller for discharge of the end disc.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, including means for guiding a rowof discs to the entrance end of the support rollers, and a pair of feedrollers engaging opposite sides of the guided row for positivelyadvancing the row against the flange of the pressure roller.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, including control meansresponsive to movement of the gate member for energizing the paint gun.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the control meanscomprises switch means actuated by movement of the gate member, and acontrol responsive to the switch means for energizing the paint gun.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the control includesdelay means for establishing the paint jet at a predetermined time aftera discharge of the end disc, and dwell means controlling the duration ofthe paint jet before the next spinning end disc is discharged.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, including an oven for drying thepainted discs, and means for conveying painted discs from the dischargeend of the support rollers to the o en.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the conveying meanscomprises a conveyor belt for carrying discs through the oven, and achute for guiding discs from the support rollers to the conveyor belt.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 2., including a yieldable gatemember holding the end disc on the support rollers and a pusher movableupwardly between the support rollers to separate the end disc from therow.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, including control meansresponsive to movement of the pusher for energizing the paint gun.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, including an enlarged peripheralend flange on the discharge end of each support roller for retardingdischarge of the end disc during application of paint, a yieldable gatemember-above the support rollers holding several discs at the end of thesupport rollers, and a reciprocal pusher movable upwardly between thesupport rollers to push the end disc upwardly past the yieldable gatemember.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the yieldable gatemember comprises a stationary member disposed over several discs andhaving a yieldable flange disposed over the end disc.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the pusher comprises anarm having a rotatable pusher roller at the end thereof engageable withthe end disc to discharge the latter.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the pusher comprises anarm having a pusher element at switch means actuated by movement of thearm, and a control responsive to the switch means for controlling thepaint gun.

1. A disc handling apparatus, comprising, a. means for supporting aplurality of similar circular discs on edge in adjacent relationship ina generally cylindrically shaped row, b. means for spinning the discs inthe row about the longitudinal axis of the row, c. means for advancingthe row of discs toward a discharge station where the successive discsfall off the supporting means, and d. means mounted in alignment withsaid discharge station for momentarily directing a spray of coatingfluid toward the spinning end disc at the discharge station before itfalls off the supporting means. Pg,21
 1. A disc handling apparatus,comprising, a. means for supporting a plurality of similar circulardiscs on edge in adjacent relationship in a generally cylindricallyshaped row, b. means for spinning the discs in the row about thelongitudinal axis of the row, c. means for advancing the row of discstoward a discharge station where the successive discs fall off thesupporting means, and d. means mounted in alignment with said dischargestation for momentarily directing a spray of coating fluid toward thespinning end disc at the discharge station before it falls off thesupporting means. Pg,21
 2. A disc advancing and painting apparatus,comprising, a. a frame, b. a pair of rollers rotatably mounted on theframe in adjacent side-by-side relationship to provide a cradle forsupporting a row of circular discs on edge in adjacent relationship, c.means for rotating the support rollers in a direction to spin the discsas the row advances from an entrance end of the rollers to the oppositedischarge end of the rollers, d. means on the frame disposed over thecradle for holding the discs on the support rollers during advance fromthe entrance end toward the discharge end, e. a yieldable gate member onthe frame at the discharge end of the support rollers movable between ablocking position at least momentarily obstructing discharge of the enddisc and a retracted position for discharge of the end disc, and f. apaint gun disposed adjacent the discharge end of the support rollers formomentarily directing a jet of paint against the spinning end disc whilethe latter is held against discharge by the gate member.
 3. An apparatusas defined in claim 2, wherein the gate member comprises a movablymounted pressure roller for engaging several discs at the discharge endof the support rollers and having an enlarged peripheral end flange forretarding discharge of the end disc during application of the paint, andmeans resiliently urging the pressure roller toward the support rollersand yieldable to permit retraction of the pressure roller for dischargeof the end disc.
 4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, including meansfor guiding a row of discs to the entrance end of the support rollers,and a pair of feed rollers engaging opposite sides of the guided row forpositively advancing the row against the flange of the pressure roller.5. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, including control meansresponsive to movement of the gate member for energizing the paint gun.6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the control meanscomprises switch means actuated by movement of the gate member, and acontrol responsive to the switch means for energizing the paint gun. 7.An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the control includes delaymeans for establishing the paint jet at a predetermined time after adischarge of the end disc, and dwell means controlling the duration ofthe paint jet before the next spinning end disc is discharged.
 8. Anapparatus as defined in claim 2, including an oven for drying thepainted discs, and means for conveying painted discs from the dischargeend of the support rollers to the oven.
 9. An apparatus as defined inclaim 8, wherein the conveying means comprises a conveyor belt forcarrying discs through the oven, and a chute for guiding discs from thesupport rollers to the conveyor belt.
 10. An apparatus as defined inclaim 2, including a yieldable gate member holding the end disc on thesupport rollers and a pusher movable upwardly between the supportrollers to separate the end disc from the row.
 11. An apparatus asdefined in claim 10, including control means responsive to movement ofthe pusher for energizing the paint gun.
 12. An apparatus as defined inclaim 2, including an enlarged peripheral end flange on the dischargeend of each support roller for retarding discharge of the end discduring application of paint, a yieldable gate member above the supportrollers holding several discs at the end of the support rollers, and areciprocal pusher movable upwardly between the support rollers to pushthe end disc upwardly past the yieldable gate member.
 13. An apparatusas defined in claim 12, wherein the yieldable gate member comprises astationary member disposed over several discs and having a yieldableflange disposed over the end disc.
 14. An apparatus as defined in claim12, wherein the pusher comprises an arm having a rotatable pusher rollerat the end thereof engageable with the end disc to discharge the latter.15. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the pusher comprises anarm having a pusher element at one end engageable with the end disc todischarge the latter, a mid portion pivotally mounted on a pivotedlever, and a remote end pivotally mounted on an eccentric drive pin.